RB: Once in a while someone with the experience gives good advice! Ryan Stamrood is a multiple Ice Mile swimmer.

So how does one prepare for and build tolerance for a ‘cold water’ swim, an ‘extreme cold swim’ or even an ‘ice swim’?

At the outset I must note that I have no distance triathlon experience. The donning of a wetsuit for the swim leg will make a massive difference to, inter alia, cold tolerance and will dramatically reduce (but not eliminate) the need to for cold preparation. I have never worn a wetsuit for any swim, strictly following FINA’s dress code rules as mentioned above. So the tips that follow are geared towards those with an interest in cold water distance swimming in its ‘naked’ form and who are possibly going to be preparing for their first real distance swim challenge.